On Tuesday 18th of November 2014, IIIS hosted a group of visitors from the Netherlands to be introduced to the institute, and Islam.
After introducing the institute, H. I. Mohaddes pointed out to what he called three important aspects of Shia Islam: Intellect, that there should be no conflict between faith and intellect, Comprehensiveness of Islamic teachings, to cover all aspects of life, and the spiritual and moral aspect of Shia called Mysticism by Muslims, but mistaken as Sufism by Westerners.
The guests asked about how the life of a cleric is. In response, the life of a cleric was described, and the path to reaching religious knowledge was illustrated. It iwas also explained that the path to become an expert in Islam often takes some twenty years, studying all sorts of subjects, such as, Arabic grammar and literature, logic, economics, principle of jurisprudence, etc.
H. I. Mohaddes also talked about how he was motivated to become a religious cleric. Later, inter religious dialogue, and their benefits, such as enhancement of ethical and religious beliefs, were discussed.
The guests talked about their experience of Hijab, which was followed by a long discussion on repenting, the proper way to repent, and the importance of keeping one’s dignity, even while repenting.
